This told essay is based on conversations with Karen Watts Nauman, 67, and Jeff Nauman, 69, a couple who moved from the United States to Mexico’s Lake Chapala several years ago. they recently launched AI boomera platform for AI course Designed for older Americans. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Karen: I grew up in Washington, DC and then moved to Los Angeles, where I spent 35 years working in various advertising and sales positions. I ran my own company and ran promotional marketing events and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, especially in Latin America.
I left my company around 2016, but I never quit my job. I worked as an independent contractor for many years, so I’m very greedy. Jeff and I didn’t get married until we were 58 years old. He then moved to Oregon and started a small CBD business serving senior citizens. We were self-employed, so we didn’t have a pension. Neither of us have children.
Jeff: I grew up in Southern California. I have an MBA and have worked in sales throughout my career. I also worked as a consultant for small and medium-sized businesses. In 2020 I started working for a client and worked there full time until last year.
Through my previous job, I became pretty knowledgeable about AI. My old boss encouraged me to leverage AI to create emails and newsletters. Karen and I moved to Mexico four years ago, and even though I knew I could survive here on Social Security income, I told her she should start a business teaching AI to seniors.
We have been considering moving to Mexico for a long time
Karen: I worked with production and advertising clients in Mexico for over 20 years and traveled extensively. I’m not fluent in Spanish, but I’m somewhat comfortable with it. I previously told Jeff that he should move to Mexico, but because there were no suitable jobs, he couldn’t move there.
One day, Jeff sent me an article about Social Security income for women living in Mexico. When I got home, he said he would do it if his boss said OK.
Jeff: Karen and I have both owned homes our whole lives, but have been renting for the past few years. Rents kept going up and I couldn’t find a place I was happy with and could afford.
Karen: I owned a house, but lost it in the 2008 financial crisis. I knew a lot about Mexico, but I didn’t know much about Lake Chapala, where we live now. I read about the perfect climate, access to the main city of Guadalajara, and Mexico’s largest expat community. Considering all this, we thought it would be easy to adapt.
I decided there was no need to visit first. We sold about three-quarters of our belongings and put a little in storage. Three months later we moved here.
We moved for financial reasons but love the community
Karen: The reasons were primarily economic. We were middle class Americans and we were tired of constantly struggling to survive. I had intestinal problems, but I didn’t qualify for Medicare yet, so I didn’t go to the doctor even though I was in severe pain. I knew I would have a much better chance of receiving quality medical care if I came here. And I found a wonderful doctor in Guadalajara.
Our home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and is located on a 1,500 square foot lot on a 5,000 square foot lot in a gated community. Great location with security and all amenities. We pay about $1,250 a month. Considering that amount and thinking about where we could live in the US, it would have been in a studio somewhere.
It’s a pretty slow pace here. People here are happy and family-oriented. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We feel full of life and younger than our age. We are not ready to retire yet.
We slowly learned how to use AI
Karen: Jeff started learning about AI last year, but I wasn’t really into it. In the end we decided to give it a try. We’ve been talking to a lot of our colleagues here, some of them a little bit younger, and they’re interested in AI, but there’s so many fears. Jeff and I have always embraced technology in our careers, and we’re getting a little burnt out from having to learn so many new technologies.
Jeff: Initially, our main focus was on teaching people how to leverage AI in marketing. We wanted to help people learn how to use AI for advertising, email, letters, and scheduling, and we realized there were so many applications for AI that we were actually using.
Karen: For example, when it comes to pain management, I found ChatGPT’s suggestions to be more helpful than a decade of advice from others. AI could help people perform daily tasks in their homes, gardens, or clinics.
Read more about how older adults are using AI
Jeff: We expanded into more consumer-based markets. We started learning CapCut for video editing and started creating videos for AI education. Then we started building AI Boomers.
AI boomers have just arrived
Karen: We built an AI Beginner Fundamentals Course with 4-5 videos, instructions, PDFs, and forms for $15. In this course, you will learn about prompts and the importance of safety.
We also have a course on AI image/video generation for $15, so you can enjoy it even more. There’s a $29 AI Marketing course with lots of ideas for expanding into different applications.
I know there are many seniors trying to survive on Social Security income alone, and the situation is frightening. That’s another reason why we offer more courses that are applicable to small businesses and those starting a side business.
Jeff: There are many courses that teach AI, but what makes our course different is that we provide real-world examples. The output is: Go ahead and try it yourself. From talking to older people, we think there’s a niche there.
Karen: We have just started up and are doing organic marketing in our area. We recognize that our market is huge and we plan to approach senior groups. I set up social media. Start small, see how it develops, and then expand your course library. We would like to take on the challenge of B2B a little more.
Jeff: AI Boomers’ business partner is in his early 50s. We laid the foundation for the company and we want her to take it over and expand it. At our age, we would like to work for a few more years and then retire.
Karen: Still, Jeff and I aren’t the type to fully retire. I want to go on a trip, but work keeps me confused.